Parcel delivery companies, such as United Parcel Service, have long maintained records to be able to verify deliveries. More recently, such companies have begun to guarantee overnight delivery of parcels, and therefore have a need for rapid access to information verifying on-time delivery, including a record of the signature of the recipient. The word "parcel" is used herein broadly to include any item handled by delivery services, such as packages, letters, containers, or unpackaged items.
Typically, a delivery vehicle driver leaves the vehicle with one or more parcels and a portable data acquisition device, such as the Delivery Information Acquisition Device (DIAD) device used by UPS drivers. The DIAD device includes a bar code scanner for reading a bar code label placed on the parcel by the sender, and a signature capture pad. This information is stored temporarily in the unit, and then transferred via an optical link to a docking station located in the vehicle. From this station, the information is transmitted to a central tracking computer via a cellular telephone network. Other systems use radio frequency (RF) networks to relay tracking information to a central computer.
If the sender or an intended recipient needs to know the status of the parcel, that person can access the information in the central tracking computer either by calling the parcel delivery service or by sending an inquiry from a personal computer linked by modem to the central computer. However, until the tracking information pertaining to a parcel is uploaded from the DIAD into the central computer, it is not accessible to the tracking system. In particular, if the driver delivers several parcels during one foray from the vehicle, the portable acquisition device does not have the capability to provide tracking information contained in its own memory. The information is not available until the driver returns to the vehicle and uploads the information into the central system.
Present parcel delivery tracking systems track parcels only to a customer's mail room, reception desk, or other receiving location. The customer may have a personal computer in communication with the parcel delivery service's central tracking computer to facilitate tracking of parcels sent from or received by the customer's mail room. Between the sender and the mail room of the recipient company, the tracking system may receive data (such as by scanning a bar code) at several stages of delivery, such as regional and local sorting hubs. However, in many large companies, the further process of delivering a parcel to an individual within the company and verifying such delivery is another major stage in the delivery process. Currently, convenient and automated tracking of such internal deliveries is not available. Nor is the status of the parcel during the internal delivery stage part of the tracking information available through the delivery service's central computer or through personal computer systems in the customer's mail room.
Although prior portable data acquisition terminals have included both bar code scanners and signature capture pads, the scanners have often been built in to the unit housing or provided as a wand or point-and-shoot device attached by cable to the terminal, while entry of a signature has required a separate tool in the nature of a stylus. When the scanner is built into the terminal, it may be difficult to maneuver the terminal into the correct orientation to scan a bar code. When a separate wand or the like is attached, the user has the inconvenience of looking after separate tools for scanning and signature entry.
Thus, there has been a need for a parcel tracking system that can track parcels during the internal stage of delivery after receipt of the parcel from a parcel delivery service, using an efficient device that can obtain signatures of recipients and scan codes printed on parcel labels, and can respond to tracking inquiries prior to transferring collected information to a different computer.